Drive axle



June 20, 1944. w, ALDEN ETAL 2,351,590

' DRIVE AXLE Filed July 29, 1940 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Herbert M AldenBeverly W [(6666 June 20, 1944. w ALDEN ETAL 2,351,590

DRIVE AXLE Filed July 29, 1940 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 r Herbem I I/AldenBeverly W [(6656:

Jurie 20, 1944. I H. w. ALDEN ETAL. 2,351,590

1mm: AXLE.

T Filed July 29, 1940 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Herbeh W Alden Beverly W KeesePatented June 20, 1944 Herbert W. Alden, Detroit, Mich., and Beverly W.Keese, Oshkosh, Wis., assignors to The Timken- Detroit Axle Company,Detroit, Mich., a corporation of Ohio Application July 29, 1940, SerialNo. 348,292

o Claims.

The present invention relates to drive axles, and more particularly toautomotive drive axles known in the art as two speed ax1es,having meansfor transmitting power at two different speed reductions. However,certain phases of the invention are not restricted to such use and maybe advantageously employed in'other types of axles or power transmittingmechanisms.

In Buckendale Patent No. 2,133,667, granted December 19, 1939, there isdisclosed a two speed axle having a sliding clutch collar forselectively coupling high and low speedjgears to a cross shaft, andalthough this axle marked a definite advance in the art, it is notadapted for installation in rear-engine vehicles.

In Alden Patent No. 2,120,594, granted June 14, 1938, there is discloseda drive axle adaptedfor rear engine vehicles, but it is adapted totransmit power at a fixed value of speed reduction, and alsorequires'comparatively large overhang of the gear-carrying housing, andhypoid gears must be used. Also, in order to get the bevel gear into thegear-carrying housing, anobjectionably large opening must be providedin, its base. 7

Accordingly, a major object of theinvention is to improved the axleconstruction shown in Patents Nos. 2,120,594 and 2,183,667 and reducetheir size weight and cost substantially, without sacrificing any of theimprovements-and advantages of the inventions disclosed in thosepatents. These improvements are accomplished primarily: (a) Byprovlding'the clutch'collar and shift yoke assembly with means forindividually. and yieldingly centering them in either of their'shiftedpositions,;so as to avoid rubbing engagementof the yoke assembly withthe clutch collar in either of their shifted positions. l

(b) By providing a spiral bevel gear drive be tween the propellerandfcross shafts and'locating them in substantially the same horizontalplane, so as to reduce theoverhang or front-to rear dimension of theunit with respect to th arrangement shown in Patent No. 2,120,594. 1 Byproviding improved lubrication means for the front end of the propellershaft.

((1) By providing a pinion cage support for the frontend of thepropeller shaft of sufficient size to permitthe bevel gear to beinserted and removed through the front end of the gear, house ing,thereby making it possible to use a one piece housing and yet-avoidingthe need for alarge gear-removingopeningin the base of the 'hous-i v A.4 r

(e) By providing novel stop means for the shift lever, which willaccurately and permanently stop the lever in its extreme shiftedpositions and maintain a constant range of shift movement 1 throughoutthe life of the axle.

(1) By providing an anxle housing havinga' through propeller shaftadapting it for rear en gine drives, and also having means forselectively transmitting power through two different speed reductions,and yet which is unusually compact and of minimum weight. j

(g) By providing a two speed drive axle having a through propeller shaftand take-off means at one end thereof, so that power may be applied toanother drive axle or vehicle accessories at propeller speedirrespective of whether the axle is in the low or high speed ratio. r

(h) By providing other subordinate" but yetv important improvementswhich result in 'decreased cost and weight, and also greatercoinpactness, without sacrificing strength or torque; capacity of theaxle.

Further objects of the invention will become apparent as thespecification proceeds'[in con-, nection with the annexed drawings,andthe ap pended claims. I

In the drawings: g

Figure 1 is a side elevational view, with certain parts broken away andothers shown in'secf tion,of a drive axle embodying the, inventiomfFigure 2 is a sectional view taken substantial ly along the line 2 2 ofFigure 1, looking in the direction of the arrows; f

Figure 3 is a fragmental sectional view of an; enlarged scale of theshifter arm, taken substantially along the line 33 of Figure 2'; j

Figure 4 is a view taken along the line 4-94 'of Figure 1 showing thefront of the housing as'it appears when the pinion bearing cage isremoved from the structure; I T

Figure 5 is a side elevational view of the, clutch mechanism and theassociated gears,,on an enlarged scale, and with parts in section tomore clearly illustrate the construction;

Figure 6 is a fragmental sectional View of; an axle comprising a furtherembodiment of the; invention; and Q Figure '7 is a diagrammatic furtherillustr a tion of the axle of Figure 6,

With continued reference to the drawings, wherein like referencecharacters have been em ployed to designate like parts throughout-theseveral figures thereof, in general the axle coins prises a main housingsection A, which carries the axle arms, and an auxiliary housing B,which contains the speed reducing gears and is detachably secured to themain housing, preferably after all of the parts thereof have beenassembled in operative relationship.

Main housing A is provided with a hollow central portion In and a pairof reduced extensions H and. 12, into which a pair of axle arms [3 and[-4 are pressed. Portion ll] of the housing is preferably reinforced byan integrally cast internal flange l5, which extends from side to sideof the housing. Flange I5 is cut away at l6- and H to avoid interferencewith the differential bearing assemblies, and is provided with a furtherrecess l8 to provide running clearance for one of the helical spurgears, as will presently,

appear.

The outer ends of axle arms [3 and I4 are secured to the vehicle bysprings or the like, in well-known manner. In the present instance, theaxle has been illustrated as particularly adapted for rear enginevehicles such as buses, and therefore,- as viewed in Figure 3, thestructure at the topof the figure is the front of the axle, although theaxle is not limited to such use. A pair of axle shafts 2i and 22 arerotatable in the axle arms and are coupled to the rear vehicle wheels inwell-known manner.

The front ofthe main housing is provided with asubstantially verticalfront face 23 and an annular piloting surface 24-. shaft or drive shaftpasses through the ,main housing and is journalled at one end in theauxiliary housing and at the other end of the main. housing. The mainhousing is provided with a-rearwardly extending portion 25, to which abearing support 26 is detachably secured by cap screws. 27. Housing A isalso provided with aligned openings 28 and 29 at opposite sides thereofand slightly below axle shaft 22, to allow the propeller shaft to extendfrom one side of the housing to the other and into the auxiliaryhousing.

Auxiliary housing B is provided with an annular attaching flange 3'2 anda pilot shoulder 33. As seen inFigures 1 and 2, the attaching flange isclamped in tight engagementwith surface 23 of the main housing by aplurality of cap screws 34, and pilot shoulder 3.3 is disposed in.engagement with. wall 24. The auxiliary. hous ing; is. accordinglyproperly located and strongly secured, to. the main. housing, and whenabsembled, forms a unitary part thereof.

The front end of the auxiliary housing: is of generally-circular formand is provided with an opening 36, in which a. pinion bearingsupporting cage 3T is secured by a plurality of stud and nut, assemblies38. Opening- 36 (Figure 4) isv also providedwith apair of opposedrecesses 39 and 4|,ffor a purpose that will presently appear.

A propeller shaft 42 extends through the main and auxiliary housingsandis journalled at its rear end in a bearing 43 carried by cage 26. Powermaybe applied to shaft 42in any desired manner. It is. preferablysplined and secured to a universal joint member 44 by a nut 45, whichalso maintains. the inner race of.- bearings 43 against shoulder 46 onthe shaft.- ,Cage 26 also carries. a lubricant seal 41. for" preventingthe escape of lubricant from. the housing. 7 a

The front end of shaft 42 is enlarged and provided' with a keyway 94. Aspiral. bevel. pinion 5|, having a comparatively-long hub 52, is.pressed on the enlarged end of shaft 42 and. is secured by'a key 53"..,The pinion and shaft are journaled in cage. 3T by means. of a. pair oftapered roller The propeller bearings 54 and 55, which are maintained inplace on shaft 42 by a lock nut assembly 56.

By pressing the bevel pinion on shaft 42, and locating the bearings andtheir adjusting means directly on the hub of the gear, an extremelysimple construction of minimum size and maximum strength is provided.The axial position of the pinion cage may be adjusted by shims 60.

The front end of the bearing and shaft assembly is enclosed by a cap 58secured to cage 31 by ca p screws 59. In order to provide adequatelubrication of the bearings, a passage 6| is provided in the cage andcommunicates with a port bevel gear, so as to receive lubricanttherefrom and conduct it to the bearings, as will hereinafter appear.

The front end of the auxiliary housing has been disclosed as closed bycap 58, because the particular axle shown is adapted for rear enginevehicles having but a single drive axle, but it is to. be understood.that, when the axle is to be embodied-in a dual rear axle drive, cap 58will be. removed. and replaced. by a universal joint or like connectionadapting it for transmitting power tov the power input shaft of a secondaxle. The drive shaft and bevel pinion assembly just described.transmits power to the countershaft assembly, preferably to a spiralbevel gear journalled for rotation about an axis located in the plane ofthe propeller shaft, to provide a closecoupled compact structure, aswill now appear.

Journalled for rotation in an anti-friction bearing 63, located inabearing support 64 provided in auxiliary housing B, is the hub 65 of. aspiral bevel gear 66,. which is pressed on the reduced end 6! of acountershaft 6B, and secured against rotation by key 69.

The other end: of the countershaft is. journalled in a pair ofanti-friction bearings H and 12 carried by a cage 13,, and .theyarelocked in place on the shaft by an adjusting nut assembly 74 inwell-known manner. Cage 'l3 is supported in a seat 15. inthe auxiliaryhousing and is secured in place, along with a closure cap 16, by meansof cap screws 11. A number of shims 18 are located between the cage andthe housing to provide' for bodily axial adjustment of the countershafttoproperly locate gear 66 with respect to the pinion, the outer race ofbearing 63 having a slidingfitin recess 64 to allow the parts to be soa'djusted'.

"The countershaft is provided with an enlarged portion or-boss 19intermediate its ends, and a low speed helical spur gear BI isjournalled on thecountershaft between boss 19 and the inner race of.bearing 12. A helical high speed spur gear'82 of opposite pitch to gear81 is journalled on the countershaft between boss 19 and the hub of gear66.

In-order to avoidthe double tolerances which are inherent in abushingconstruction, and to.

copper or other non-ferrous metal; and then accurately burnished tofinal dimensions.

From the foregoing it. is apparent that power applied to drive shaft 42is efficiently transmitted to the countershaft through the bevel gearsets and which may be said to effect the first speed reduction in theaxle. By means of the novel clutch mechanism to now be described, poweris selectively transmitted from the coun tor-shaft to either gear 8| or82.

Referring more particularly to Figure 5, boss I9 of the countershaftisprovided with two rows of teeth '84 and 85. Teeth 84 are comparativelylong, while teeth 85 are short so as to provide an annular space orgroove 86 between the two rows of teeth. The outer ends of teeth 84 arechamfered, to facilitate engagement with the teeth of the collar, to benow described.

Mounted for axial sliding movement on teeth 84 and 85 of thecountershaft is a clutch member 81, having an annulargroove 88, internalteeth and a series of teeth '89. A second row of teeth 9I in the collarare of comparatively long axial length. Teeth '9I are symmetricallyaligned with teeth 89. 8

Low ratio gear 8| is provided with a series of clutch teeth 92, spacedfrom the helical teeth to provide a groove 93 into which a ring 94 issprung for a purpose that will presently appear. Teeth 92 are spacedapart to provide a close meshing fit with teeth 89, with substantiall noback lash. I

High ratio gear 82 is provided with a series of clutch teeth 95 whichare spaced from the helical teeth to provide an annular groove 96; Teeth95 have a close meshing fit with teeth 9| of the collar.

The clutch collar is accordinglymounted for axial sliding movement onthe countershaft for selective engagement with the teethof the low speedgear or the high speed gear. In order to provide for easyengagementwithout clash, alternate teeth of the clutch collar are cutback, and alternate teeth of gear 8| and teeth of gear 82 are cut back,as seen in Figure 5, so that when the collar is engaged with the clutchteeth of either of the gears, contact will firstbe made with the fulllength teeth. This will bring the parts into synchronismand, thereafter,further movement of the clutch collar will bring the out back teeth ofthe clutch collar into mesh with the cut back of the gear.

The mechanism also embodies means for preventingany minor shifting ofthe clutch collar and eliminating the attendant wear, and also forpreventing the clutch collar from inadvertently shifting at the point ofpower reversal. To this end, three bores 98, preferably located 120degrees apart, arevprovided in countershaft boss I9; Located inveachbore 98 is a compression'spring 99 acting upon a ball detent IOI.' Threeofthe full length collar teeth 89 are cutaway to provide a bevelled faceI02, and three corresponding collar teeth! are cut away to provide abevelled face I03, for cooperation with detents I M. Faces I02 and. I03are preferably disposed at an angle of approximately 30 degrees with thecountershaft, so that the ball detents exert a strong holding action'upon the collar injeither of its shifted positions. Accordingly, nominor shifting movement of the clutch collar can ocour, and it islikewise restrained against unintentional shifting movement when powerreversals occur.. I I I I The clutch collar is preferably shifted by anovel mechanism embodying means for preventing it from undergoingminor-movement When it is in either of its shifted positions, and alsoembodies novel means for accurately and pennanently, locating therangeofmovement it is to undergo'in shifting from the low to the high speedposition.

Referring particularly to Figures 1 and 3 a pair of T-shaped blocks I05are disposed in groove 88 of the clutch collar, and they havecylindrical shanks I06 journalled in the opposite ends of a yoke memberI01. The blocks may be held in place on the yoke member by cotter pinsI08 or the like and they have approximately one-sixteenth of an inchside clearance between the walls of groove 88. Yoke I0! is provided witha cylindrical shank I08 journalled for rocking movement in a bushing I09pressed into a bore III in housing B. Bore III is provided with anangular enlargement II2 for a purpose that will presently appear.

Keyed or splined on the end of shaft I08, and secured by a nut H3 is ashift lever II4, having a pair of linkage connecting openings H5, and areduced stop finger I I6.

When the parts just described are assembled, lever H4 is rocked back andforth to shift the clutch collar into its high and low speed positions,and the positions of the lever for each shifted position of the clutchcollar observed, and the yoke so located as to dispose members I05centrally with respect to groove 88 and free from rubbing engagement.

When the high-and low 'speed positions of lever II4 have been properlylocated from the high and low speed positions of the clutch collar, apair of pins IIB, having eccentric heads II9, are rotated into theproper position to cooperate with finger II6 of the lever and stop it inthe proper positions, and they are then driven into openings I2I in thehousing. Pins II8 are each provided with a groove I22 and, as they fitopenings I2I rather tightly, when they are driven in place the metal ofthe housing extrudes slightly into the grooves of the pins, therebypermanently locking them against rotation.

It is accordingly apparent that pins II 8 accurately' stop the lever H4in both of its shifted positions and, since they are permanently lockedin the housing against rotation, the positions of eccentric heads II8cannot change and possibly disturb the setting of the stops.

Lever I I4 is also provided with means for preventing it from undergoingminor movement out of either of its shifted positions and therebyobviates wear of the yoke and connected parts.

Referring particularly to Figure 3, the underside of lever I I4 isprovided with a pair of conical recesses I24 and I 25., Mounted forsliding movement in a bore I26 in the housing is a spherical headeddetent member I21, which is urged into cooperation with recesses I24 andI25 by means of a compression spring I28. By locating recesses in theproper positions with respect to the shifted positions of lever II4, thelatter is yieldingly but firmly restrained against minorrocking'movement, and Wear of the members I05 through rubbing engagementwith the side walls of groove 88 is avoided.

Any desired form of linkage or Bowden cable mechanism may be employed toconnect lever I I4 to the drivers controls in the vehicle, it beingunderstood that, since deflections of the axle with respect to the frameof the. vehicle cannot result in inadvertent shifting of either theshift lever or the clutch collar, it is not necessary to employ any"snap action or other trigger type devices for shifting the lever fromone, position to the other. In fact, if a certain degree of lost motionis present in the linkage, it maybe taken up in response to axledeflection Without producing minor shifting movements of any of theparts.

Power is transmitted from gears BI and 82 to the axle shafts by thefollowing novel mechanism.

Referring to Figures 1 and 2, the auxiliary 7 operate with notches I42provided in rings I31.

Journalled in bearings I35. and I36 is differential carrier structure 0,which is made up of a pair of mating sections I64 and'l45 securedtogether along a joint I46 by boltsI4TI. I

Bolts I41 pass through a pair of flanges I46 and IE9 formed onthe'housing carrier section, and through the flange I5I of a helicalspur gear I52, which constantly meshes with high ratio gear 82. SplinesI53 are provided on carrier section I55 at the base of the flange and.cooperate with similar splines on gear I52 and positively lock the twoagainst relative rotation.

A second helical spur gear I56, of slightly larger diameter than gearI52, constantly meshes with low speed gear 8| and is secured to a flangeI55 on carrier section I44 by rivets I56. The inclination of the teethof gears BI and B2 are such that they thrust away from clutch collar81,. and gears I52 and I54 thrust toward each other. Gear I54 thereforethrusts toward flange I55, and takes a great part of the load off rivetsI56.

Any desired form of difierential mechanism may be employed. The oneshown comprises a pair of diflerential side gears I5I splined to axleshafts 2| and 22 and journalled in the carrier. Gears I51 mesh withgears I56 carried by a spider I59 which is clamped between the housingsections in well-known manner. Passages WM and I641) are provided in thecarrier to conduct 'bolts which hold the carrier section together alsohold the gear in place, which makes for an extremely rigid mounting.Also, the splines on section I45 prevent relative rocking movementbetween the carrier and gear in operation.

The axle is preferably assembled as follows. Starting with the structurecompletely disassembled, with housing B removed from housing A, yokeIilI, with blocks I35in place, is inserted in the housing and shankportion I68 introduced in bore III. The bore is cut away at II2 so thatthe yoke may be rocked to bring its shaft portion I68 into operativeposition (Figure 1). Bushing I69 is then pressed into bore I I I, springI28 and plunger I21 are then inserted in bore I26, and lever I I4 isthen secured in place on shaft I68 by nut H3. 7

Bevel gear, 66 is preferably assembled with bearing 63 and held in placeby a split ring I66. The gear and bearing assembly is then passedthrough opening 36 in housing B, the periphery of the gear beingaccommodated in recesses 39 and 4|. The bearingiis then slid intoopening 64. The countershaft, with all of its assembled parts, includinggearsfll, 82 and detents IIlI and clutch collar 8'! is introducedthrough opening I5 and the reduced end of the shaft, provided with key69, is pressedinto gear .66 as follows.

Located diametrically opposite the countershaft is a threaded opening I6| in housing: B closed by a, cap I62. Cap I62 is removed and a toolintroduced through opening -I6I having an annular face engaging the hubof gear 66. Pressure is then applied to thecountershaft and-to the toolto press the gear on the end of the shaft until it engages the shoulder;.The tool is then removed and closure I6I replaced.

Bearing cage I3, containing bearings II and I2, is then slipped in placeover the shaft, together with a suflicient number of shims I8 to givethe proper axial countershaft adjustment. L'ock nut assembly I4 is thenadjustedto give the proper running clearance, and tightened. Cap member16 is then applied, and cap screws TI inserted and threaded home'to lookall of the parts into flnal position.

The countershaft assembly is now: completed and, after the proper rangeof lever ,I I4. is determined, pins II8 are driven into the holes in thehousing.

The differential carrier sections are then as sembled, and gears I52 andI54 secured in place, together with bearings I35 and I36. The assemblyis then placed in bearing supports I3I and I32 and clamped in place bycaps I33 and I34, and the bearings are adjusted by members I38 toestablish the proper running clearance.

The auxiliary housing is then applied to the main housing and secured inplace by screws 34. Propeller shaft 42 is then inserted through thepinion cage opening, with pinion 5| pressed thereon. Bearing 43 anduniversal joint member 46 are then applied to theshaft and secured inplace by nut 45. Cage 31, containing bearings 53 and 55, is then slidover the shaft'and into opening 35 and secured in place by screws 38.Lock nut assembly 56 is then applied to the shaft and adjusted toestablish the proper running clearance. The proper meshing of gears 5|and 66 is established by shims 40 under thepinion bearing cage flange,and shims I8 under the countershaft bearing cage flange.

Lubricant may then be introduced through opening I6I or any othersuitable filler port, draining of the lubricant at suitable intervalsbeing provided by a closure plug I63 located at the bottom of housing B.It is to be understood that the openings closed by plug I62 and I63 arealso very important during the manufacturing process in securing theproper boring of surfaces 64 and I5 for the countershaft bearings andbore II I for the yoke shaft bushing.

From the foregoing, it is apparent that the invention-provides anextremely compact and efiicient two speed axle of simple rugged design,in which the parts are subjected to a minimum of wear, and having aclutch mechanism which is automatically locked in either'of the gearratios.

In Figures 6 and 7 the axle is disclosed asmodifled and having a powertakeoff for driving a generator, air compressor or like vehicleaccessory.

Referring to Figures G and 7 propeller shaft 42a is provided with atapered end III which projects through a modified cap 58a. The capcarries a seal I12 which cooperates-in sealing engagement with auniversal joint member I13. The latter iscoupled to the drive shaft I14of'an electrical generator I by means of a propeller shaft I16 and asecond universal joint I'll. The generator is provided with an automaticcut-out in wellknown manner, for closing the battery circuit Whenevershaft H4 is rotated above the changing speed.

The invention may be embodied in other spe cific forms without departingfrom the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. The presentembodiment is therefore to be considered in all respects as illustrativeand not restrictive, the scope of the invention being indicated by theappended claims rather than by the foregoing description, and allchanges which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of theclaims are therefore intended to be embraced therein.

What is claimed and desired to be secured by United States LettersPatent is:

1. In a drive axle, a hollow main housing having a pair of axle armsprojecting in opposite directions therefrom; a drive axle rotatable ineach of said arms; a mating housing secured to said main housing anddisposed substantially normal to said axle arms; an opening in said mainhousing aligning with a front opening and a rear opening in said matinghousing; a bearing assembly in the opening in said main housing and abearing assembly in the front opening of said mating housing, saidbearing assemblies rotatably supporting a drive shaft disposedsubstantially normal to said axle arms; a countershaft journalled forrotation in said mating housing substantially at right angles to saiddrive shaft, a driven gear on said countershaft meshing with a drivinggear on said drive shaft, means for transmitting power from saidcountershaft to said drive axles, the front end of said mating housingbeing of greater diameter than said driven gear; and recess means in thefront opening in said mating housing sufficiently large to permit saiddriven gear to be Withdrawn through said opening after said bearingassemblies and drive shaft have been removed.

2. In a drive axle, a hollow main housing having a pair of axle armsprojecting in opposite directions therefrom. a drive axle rotatable ineach of said arms; a forwardly extending mating housin secured to saidmain housing and disposed substantially normal to said axle arms; anopening in said main housing aligning with an opening in the front endof said mating housing,

bearings in said openings rotatably supporting adrive shaft disposedsubstantially normal to said axle arms; a countershaft journalled forrotation in said mating housing substantially at right angles to saiddrive shaft, a driven gear pressed on said countershaft and meshing witha driving gear on said drive shaft, said countershaft projecting at oneend through a wall of said mating housing and terminating at the otherend inside said mating housing adjacent said drive shaft, and an openingin said mating housing opposite said other end of said countershaft ofsufficient size to permit a tool to be applied to said driven gear forpressing it on said countershaft; the front end of said mating housingbeing of greater diameter than said driven gear and being provided withrecess means associated with said front opening having an over-alldimension slightly larger than the diameter of said driven gear andoperable to permit the latter to be withdrawn edgewise through the frontend of said mating housing when said bearings and said drive shaft areremoved; and means for transmitting power from said countershaft to saiddrive axles.

3. The drive axle defined in claim 1, wherein said recess meanscomprises a pair of substantially diametrically opposed notches in saidmating housing contiguous with said opening, and one of said bearingassemblies embodies a removable cage having a portion bridging saidnotches.

4. In a drive axle, a housing having a pair of oppositely directed axlearms; an axle shaft rotatable in each of said axle arms; a drive shaftrotatably mounted in said housing about an axis disposed substantiallynormal to-said axle arms and projecting from one side of said axlehousing to the other in a substantially horizontal plane and passingclosely adjacent one of said axle shafts; means for applying power toone end of said drive shaft; a countershaft disposed to one side of saidaxle shafts and mounted for rotation in said housing about an axissubstantially parallel to said axle shafts, and offset from the level ofsaid axle shafts and intersecting the axis of rotation of said driveshaft; a bevel gear on said drive shaft meshing with a bevel gear onsaid countershaft; a differential casing disposed in'said housingconcentric with said axle shafts and mounted for rotation in spacedbearings, each of said bearings being carried by a support in saidhousing, and said bearings and supports both being offset transverselyfrom a vertical plane containing the axis of said drive shaft; and saidbearing supports both projecting beyond the horizontal plane of saiddrive shaft.

5. The drive axle defined in claim 4, wherein said means for applyinpower to one end of said drive shaft is located to one side of saidhousing, and said countershaft is located on the other side of saidhousing, and means are provided for taking 7 power off the opposite endof said drive shaft.

6. The drive axle defined in claim 4, wherein said drive shaft and saidcountershaft are disposed in a plane located below the level of saidaxle shafts, with said drive shaft passing below one of said axleshafts, and spaced less than a shaft diameter therefrom.

HERBERT W. ALDEN. BEVERLY W. KEESE.

